The STOPLight

Book Review: Identifying and Combating Juvenile Prostitution: A Manual for Action

Identifying and Combating Juvenile Prostitution:A Manual forAction is an illustrated workbook to help social service, community and law enforcement agencies to cooperatively plan and develop solutions to the problems of juvenile prostitution. The five chapters include descriptions of victims of prostitution, how to define the problem in your community and assess the need for action. Models of effective intervention programs are shown and details on how they were successfully implemented are included. The two appendices contain references, a bibliography, and an extensive nationwide resource directory of organizations dealing with exploited youth.

The format is highly readable and has large-size quotes throughout. My first skim through the book picked out just the quotes, starting with "The juvenile prostitute is not seen by society as a worthy victim, while the sexually abused child is. We must realize that they are one and the same." Another among them is "Public servants often refuse to look at the issue of prostitution especially in communities with strong moral standards where they won't admit that this goes on." These and many other quotes provide a stark glimpse at how far-reaching the problem of juvenile prostitution is.

I feel this manual is absolutely essential reading for anyone involved in state, county and city social service agencies, law enforcement bodies, the juvenile justice system and all agencies providing counseling to families and children in the area of prostitution and sexual exploitation.

Identifying and Combating Juvenile Prostitution:A Manual For Action is available from:

National Resource Center for Youth Services

The University of Oklahoma

Botkin Bldg., Third Floor

131 North Green wood Ave.

Tulsa, OK 74120

Phone: (918) 581-2986

The cost is $15.00 plus $2.50 postage and handling.

Make check payable to University of Oklahoma.

In 2002 our organization changed its name to Adults Saving Kids. Prior to that we were called A-STOP (Alliance for Speaking Truths On Prostitution), STOP (Speaking Truths On Prostitution), or Grassroots Ministry Alliance.